


Safe and Happy

by PennilessCosplayer



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humanstuck, Meowrails, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Sadstuck, art teacher nepeta, pe teacher equius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 19:00:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5638273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennilessCosplayer/pseuds/PennilessCosplayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Equius is a PE Teacher, Nepeta is an art teacher. School holidays are their favorite time of year. (A Humanstuck fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe and Happy

It’s a day before the first day of school this year, and you and all the other teachers are setting things up to welcome the kids back. As a PE teacher, you have it somewhat easy, just plan out the sports units for the year, type up a syllabus, and check that all the equipment is still working after the summer. It is, and by lunch you’re almost done.

In the cafeteria, there’s a lunch set up, but there’s no vegetarian option. You’re used to this by now, and you prefer to bring your own meals anyway. You do take a carton of milk, though.

As you eat your pasta, a slow trickle of your coworkers take plates of food and fill the seats around you. They’re all familiar faces, you’ve worked with them in the five years you’ve been here.

Except for one girl. She really is just a girl, nearly a foot shorter than you and clearly in her first teaching job. The first thing that you can think of to describe her is cute. Not in a sexual way, however. You feel the urge to protect her from everything. You stare at her through your sunglasses, and she catches you doing it. Rather than being creeped out by your intense gaze, she grins and approaches you.

You clear your throat when you realize that she’s coming over. “Excuse me. I don’t recognize you.” You say, and she grins wider.

“Don’t worry! You wouldn’t have, it’s my first time here. I’m the new art teacher, my name’s Nepeta.” She puts her hand out to shake yours, and you accept, but you’re careful not to squeeze too hard. Her hand is tiny, and you’re pretty strong. You don’t want to hurt her.

“Equius. I teach physical education.” You reply.

She nods as if to agree that yes, that is your name and job, and she sits down in the seat next to you.

“No pizza, Equius?” She asks, holding up her slice and taking a bite out of the end.

You shake your head. “I don’t eat meat. I’ve brought my own lunch.”

She frowns, but in a more teasing way than actually disapproving of your dietary choices, and you stab at your last pasta shell with your plastic fork.

“Fiddlesticks.” You say under your breath, and Nepeta giggles. You’ve snapped the fork’s handle off.

She’s kind enough to get you a new one, and you give her a smile. You think she likes you. Hopefully she likes you. Protecting her will be hard if she doesn’t like you.

~~~~

It’s a few weeks into the school year now, and you and Nepeta have become rather close friends, in an odd way. Like every year, you have a few troublemaking students that make you want to punch something, and to alleviate your anger, you usually do.

You hit the punching bag over and over, making it swing a little as you do so. There’s something you enjoy about this, and your fists fly faster and harder until you’re just lost in a frenzy of blows.

You don’t hear her knock, and when she comes in it takes you a few moments to notice her standing there. She’s staring at you, and she looks a little… concerned.

Of course, you must look like a mess right now, drenched in sweat and panting, but you grab your towel and make sure to wipe off before actually speaking to her.

“I… get angry.” You explain, though you really don’t have to.

“I know. Are your kids really giving you that much trouble?” She’s frowning at you, and you feel bad. She may be tiny, but you want to keep her happy.

You nod. “Yes. They are disobedient, and--ugh!” You punch the bag again to finish your sentence.

“Equius! That’s not a healthy way to react to kids. I mean, it’s good that you’re letting it out, but… I’m always here if you wanna talk. I have a painting class, so I’ve got a little spare time for things like this. As long as it’s important.”

You nod again, and your fists fall to your sides. You’re not angry anymore. You can’t be angry around Nepeta. She’s too sweet, something about her makes you feel calmer.

“I’m sorry, Nepeta.” You apologize, dabbing sweat from your face with your towel.

She starts giggling. Actually giggling. Suddenly, there’s a plastic water bottle flying at your head and you catch it without realizing.

Nepeta’s grinning at you again, and you smile back at her before downing the entire contents of the bottle.

“Better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

~~~~

“So, Equius. What do you plan to do for the Thanksgiving vacation?” Kanaya asks you during the teacher’s lunch on the last day before break.

You pause, as if you’re thinking about it. You’re not. You’re going to spend it alone, like always, maybe tinker with your car a bit or something.

“I am going to work on my car, and watch the football game.” You reply.

Nepeta frowns, while Kanaya’s used to hearing about you spending your time off alone.

“You’re gonna be by yourself? It’s the holidays, you don’t want to be with family or anything?”

You sigh and shake your head. No, you really can’t spend time with them. They live too far away, and on a teacher’s salary? Forget buying plane tickets. But you’ve gotten used to it. Besides, you’re not really one for turkey.

“If you want, you can spend the holiday with my mom and I. I know you’re a vegetarian, we can cook all sorts of things you’ll be able to eat.”

You consider this for a moment. Kanaya simply raises an eyebrow and glances over the two of you. This would be sure to stir up some rumors.

“Nepeta. I don’t think that would be very professional of me.”

“Oh, come on, Equius! We’re friends! I can’t let you spend the holiday alone. That’s just sad.”

She catches your gaze with those big, sad, green eyes of hers, and you can’t say no.

So you say yes.

You spend the next couple of days learning the basics of American Sign Language from Nepeta. You meet up in parks and bookstores, and she teaches you how to sign your name, and simple expressions like _“Thank you.”_ and _“Hello.”_

“My mom signs pretty fast, so if you can’t keep up, I’ll translate for you.” Nepeta says, after correcting your hand movements for what seems like the hundredth time. “But she’ll probably speak to you. She’s pretty good at that.”

You sigh out a word of thanks and put your hands down. Yes, you were going to learn ASL, but you couldn’t be expected to master it in only a few days.

“ _Thank you,_ Nepeta.”

She playfully punches your arm, and you pretend to flinch even though it doesn’t hurt at all.

“Don’t worry about messing up, Equius, I think she’ll like you.”

You rub the back of your head and give her a smile, though you’re nervous. You don’t want to mess up Meulin’s first impression of you.

“I hope so.”

~~~~

You arrive at the Leijon household on Thursday bearing a skillet of cornbread that you’ve made yourself, and though it’s crumbly and a little drier than usual, you hope Nepeta and her mother will enjoy it.

You hope everything goes well. You’ve broken a sweat just thinking about it.

Nepeta greets you at the door with a big hug. Her mother’s in the kitchen, pulling something delicious out of the oven. It’s an apple pie.

Meulin sees you and lets out a loud “Hello!” and comes to hug you with her oven mitts still on. She’s only a little taller than her daughter, but her curly blond hair is much longer. When she releases you, you give her a small smile and sweep your open hand away from your forehead in greeting.

_“Welcome!”_ She giggles, and you can’t help a chuckle of your own.

_“Thank you.”_ You’re not nearly as expressive as she is, your movements are a little stiff when you sign, but Meulin doesn’t seem to mind.

You leave your shoes at the door, and Meulin lights up when she sees the cornbread you’ve brought. She’s grinning and happy, and you can see where Nepeta got her personality from.

You help set up the table, avoiding the delicate-looking china because you think you might break it. It’s happened before, you don’t want to risk it.

The table is beautiful, the food looks amazing, and this is the first year in a long time where you aren’t eating takeout alone in your garage.

The dinner is excellent, and though meat is served for both Meulin and Nepeta, there’s plenty of options for you to eat, and so you do. You eat quite a bit more than either of them, considering they’re tiny compared to you, but they don’t mind because they’ve made plenty.

You find yourself signing _“Thank you.”_ over and over again, because the Leijons are more than generous to you. They offer you tea after dinner, and by the time you finally head home, they’ve given you leftovers that could feed you for a week.

“Come back for Christmas!” Meulin shouts from the door as you head to your car.

You nod, smile, and sign, _“Yes, thank you, goodbye.”_

Though it’s cold outside, you’re warm all night long.

~~~~

Your birthday is close enough to Christmas that you just want to celebrate it at the same time. This doesn’t stop Nepeta from showing up at your house on your actual birthday with a cupcake and a birthday-wrapped gift.

“Hey, Equius! Happy birthday!”

You don’t have to invite her in, because she's always welcome, but you wish you’d had some warning because your house is a bit of a mess and you’re covered in motor oil. You clean up with one of your shop towels a bit, and get her some milk to drink.

When you come back into your dining room, Nepeta’s lit a candle on top of the cupcake, and she’s started singing ‘Happy Birthday.’

You blow out your candle at the end of the song, and Nepeta isn’t waiting for you to eat your cupcake because she shoves a flat package into your hands.

You tear off the paper, and you’re holding a small, framed painting.

It’s you.

You’re wearing a sleeveless shirt and fingerless gloves, and you’re punching something. A robot. You look angry, powerful. The details are perfect.

“Nepeta…” Your voice is quiet and you can’t stop staring at the painting. When did she get time to look at you enough to portray you so perfectly? Your long hair is flying around you, you’re a hero in the middle of action. You half expect the painting to start moving.

“It’s perfect.” You go to hug Nepeta, and she squeaks because you’re too strong and you’re crushing her slightly.

You finally release her, and she makes you eat your cupcake, which is delicious, before leaving you alone to put up your new painting.

You can’t stop smiling at it every time you pass by.

~~~~

It’s Christmas morning, you’ve stayed over at the Leijon household, and now it’s time for breakfast. You can smell it long before you wake up. Chocolate chip pancakes.

You rub sleep out of your eyes, and you’re still in your pajamas as you walk into the kitchen. Nepeta’s cooking at the stove, and she’s also wearing pajamas. Hers have kittens all over them. Her hair’s still messy. Yours would be, too, but you had the foresight to braid it.

“Good morning, Nepeta.”

She turns and grins at you, and there’s flour on her face. “Morning, Equius!”

“Do you require any help?” You ask, brushing the flour off with your thumb.

“Yeah! Can you watch these while I put the plates on the table? Thanks!”

She hands you a spatula, and you’re flipping pancakes for a while until you’ve run out of batter. You turn with a platter full of pancakes, and suddenly there’s Meulin.

_“Good morning.”_

Your hands are full, so you can’t sign back, but you nod and reply verbally.

After breakfast, it’s time to open gifts. You let Meulin and Nepeta go before you, because this is their house, and you really want to make sure that they liked what you got them. For Meulin, it’s a selection of different herbal teas in beautiful tins. For Nepeta, it’s a blue cat-ears hat.

She puts it on and tackle-hugs you before you can start asking if she likes it.

“I love it, Equius! Thank you!”

“Nepeta, don’t act like a child.” you half-scold her.

She kisses you on the cheek before handing you your presents. You have to take a few moments to recover from it before opening the first one.

It’s a figurine of a centaur, an intricately carved and holding a tiny wooden bow. This is definitely an arts family.

_“Sagittarius.”_ Meulin signs, then points to the centaur. “He looks like you.” She says.

You take a moment to admire it. _“Thank you.”_ You sign, and move on to the second one, from Nepeta. It’s a soft and squishy package, and when you open it it’s a large sweater in a deep blue. Your favorite color.

“Put it on, Equius!” Nepeta urges, and you hesitate until you see that Meulin’s joined in and you’re outnumbered. So you pull the sweater on over your pajama t-shirt. It fits well, and it’s pretty comfortable. You’re just afraid it’ll get ruined the next time you start sweating.

Oh, well. You can always wash it.

~~~~

It’s spring break. You’ve invited Nepeta to go horse riding with you through a park that’s a few hours away, just you and her and some horses for a day and a night, hiking, riding, and generally having fun.

“I’ve always wanted to go on a wild adventure!” Nepeta exclaims as you tell her your plans.

“I thought you might like to paint the landscapes or the horses.” You explain, and she wraps her arms around your waist and hugs you for a long time.

“After spending the holidays with you, I thought I should repay you.” You explain, but her finger is on your lips and she’s silencing you. Her face is buried in your chest, you can feel her breathing. So you just hug her back, gently, so you don’t hurt her.

You’re on your way, and it’s quiet, so you put in a CD. It’s not a specific band, just a mixtape. The first song comes on, and It’s quiet for a few seconds before Nepeta’s singing softly.

“Tonight, I’m gonna have myself a real good time…” She’s looking out the window, and you can barely hear her, but you know she’s singing.

You smile at the road in front of you. “I feel ali-i-i-iiive.” You join in, with a volume slightly above hers. She turns, she’s heard you, and she’s grinning.

“And the wooorld, is turning inside out, yeah.” Her voice is much higher than yours, it better matches Freddie Mercury’s impressive range.

“I’m floating around in ecstasy, so...”

“Don’t stop me now, don’t stop me, ‘cause I’m having a good time, **having a good time!”** Nepeta’s at the top of her lungs, smiling so wide her eyes are shut, she’s having so much fun with this.

Now you’re both singing so loudly you’re sure the cars that pass you can hear you, but you don’t care. It’s just you and Nepeta having a good time.

You almost don’t want to arrive at the park.

~~~~

It’s Nepeta’s birthday, and you choose to take her out for dinner. It's a fancy place, so you get dressed up a little before picking her up at her apartment.

She looks beautiful. From her ruffly olive-green dress to her perfectly curled hair to her little silver cat-shaped earrings, she looks perfect.

Though you're dressed up formally, wearing a vest and tie, even, you don't feel like you can compete. Not that you want to. This is her day.

After dinner, you exit the restaurant with Nepeta, and she’s holding onto your arm contentedly. You can clearly see that she’s satisfied with her birthday dinner.

There’s a man leaning on your car, waiting for you. He’s hard to see in the dim streetlight, but you know who he is. An old student of yours, one that dropped out about two years ago. The one you always knew was high, but never could prove it.

You break a sweat. Something about this is setting you on edge. You quietly push Nepeta back into the restaurant without much explanation, and nearly command her to stay there.

You approach your car alone, as if that’s how you had arrived.

“Gamzee.”

“Haven’t seen you in a bit, coach.”

Your fists are clenched at your sides, you really don’t like where this is going. But you can't attack first.

“Y’know… I always hated you. Acting like you were the motherfuckin’ king of us kids.”

“Language, Gamzee.” You wipe the sweat from your forehead, but it’s back again as soon as you do.

“There you go again. Maybe you should act like someone else is on top for a change.” At first you think he’s high, but this is worse. He must be sober. Has to be. He was never this… intimidating, never this precise.

“Gamzee, you’re not thinking clearly.”

“Kneel, motherfucker.”

You will not kneel. You aren’t going to kneel. Until suddenly you’re kneeling because he has a gun. And he’s just shot you in the knee.

You want to attack him, but you’re paralyzed in pain and fear because the barrel of the gun is between your eyes.

“That’s about fuckin’ right.”

He lowers the gun, and you have time to react but you don’t because you’re in so much pain that you can’t move.

Now he's got your tie. He unties it, then ties it differently around your neck, and you’re choking. He’s… grinning at you as he’s choking you, strangling you with your own tie, and you can’t breathe.

You hear your sunglasses fall to the ground and the lenses crack against the asphalt.

You’re making noises that in any other situation you would be embarrassed about. You’re clawing at your throat, but weakly. Your vision is getting spotty, you need air.

It’s not coming. It won't ever come. You can’t see, you’re going numb, you’re dying, and you know this.

But you smile because you know one other thing.

You’ve kept Nepeta safe.


End file.
